The Grand Review Brandy Station Foundation December 2025
- Brandy Station Foundation
- Nov 1
- 6 min read
President: Howard Lambert;
Vice President: Gregory A. Mertz;
Treasurers: Peter Mocarski and Peggy Mocarski;
Secretary: Peggy Misch (newsletter editor)
Board of Directors:
Elicia Belle, Jane Brookins, Don Carlson, Myra Lane, Larry Pullen, and Paul Warmack; Honorary Director: Helen Geisler, Honorary Member of the Brandy Station Foundation Board of Directors
Brandy Station Foundation Holiday Open House is December 6th
Please join us for the Brandy Station Foundation Holiday Open House on
Saturday, December 6th from 1-4 PM at the Graffiti House, 19484 Brandy Road,
Brandy Station. The Board of the BSF thanks its members and the public for their support. The Wilderness Run Players will be playing holiday music and there will be Graffiti House tours and refreshments. All are welcome. Please mark your calendars for music, food and a time for meeting old friends and making new ones. The Graffiti House will be open for regular tours beginning at noon.
President’s Message
Season’s Greetings, All the best to you and your family this holiday season. As 2025 comes to a close, I am pleased to reflect on the accomplishments of the Brandy Station Foundation over the past year and share our vision for 2026. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend my sincere thanks for your continued support. I also wish to recognize our guest speakers, exhibitors, re-enactors, tour guides, greeters, and visitors who helped make 2025 a truly successful year.
Over the past year, we made significant improvements to the Graffiti House. The flooring in the Medical Room and hallway was replaced, the HVAC system was repaired, and–thanks to a grant from the Fredericksburg PC Users Group–an A/V system was installed in the Media Room, allowing visitors with disabilities to see and hear Graffiti House upstairs’ tours in real time.
On the grounds, the driveway was repaved, the bricks at the new Graffiti House marker were laid, and a plaque honoring former BSF President Joe McKinney was acquired to be dedicated at the flagpole on a date to be announced. To close out the year, a Civil War mural was completed on the storage shed, enhancing the grounds and drawing the interest of potential visitors.
Our programs and events were equally memorable. We began the year with our Annual Meeting, held for the first time at the Country Club of Culpeper, where our guest speaker was Daniel Davis of the American Battlefield Trust. In May, Brandy Station Foundation scholarships were awarded to students from Eastern View and Culpeper County High Schools. In June, we hosted Descendants Day, featuring stories of ancestors who fought in the American Civil War. This was followed by a program with members of the Hatfield and McCoy families at the Brandy Station Fire Hall, and the inaugural Brandy Station Foundation History Tour, which highlighted significant sites including the location of George Washington’s first survey at Brandy Station. We also continued our tradition of the 5K/10K Race near the Culpeper Regional Airport and held the Halloween event, Spirit Night, featuring Culpeper Paranormal.
Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to continue improving the Graffiti House. Plans include replacing the carpet in the Media Room and redesigning the Graffiti House first-floor museum displays. We have already met with a design studio to obtain estimates for upgrades tailored to the unique layout of the Graffiti House. The introduction of new wall-mounted interpretive signage, along with new exhibits including interactives would greatly enhance the visitor experience and highlight areas of greatest interest. To make this vision a reality, however, we need your help. Our goal is to raise $16,000 to fully fund this important project, and we ask that you consider making a special donation to the Brandy Station Foundation Graffiti House Display Improvement Project. A donation form is enclosed for your convenience.
Perhaps the most ambitious project under consideration is the creation of a Brandy Station Historic District. Over the past year, we have engaged in research and discussions about the requirements for forming such a district. More study is needed to determine the boundaries and areas to be included, but this initiative holds great promise for preserving and promoting our history.
As we close out 2025, the Foundation will once again participate in the Pohanka Christmas Tree Challenge fundraiser for nonprofits, to be held at Pohanka Nissan of Fredericksburg on December 13. This event is hosted by the family of the late Brian Pohanka, a former member of the Foundation. Ticket information is available on the BSF website for this festive holiday gala and live auction: https:// www.brandystationfoundation.com We will also celebrate the season with our Annual Holiday Open House party at the Graffiti House on December 6 from 1 to 4 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.
In closing, I would like to thank the Board of Directors for their countless hours of dedication. Their commitment makes our accomplishments possible. Yet, in order to expand our programs and open our doors every weekend, we need more help. The Foundation is seeking volunteers to greet visitors and lead tours, with training provided. If you are unable to serve in this capacity but know someone who might be interested, please let us know. We also welcome contributions to our newsletter and expertise in any field that can enrich our work. Together, we can continue to preserve history and share it with future generations.
Sincerely, Howard Lambert President, Brandy Station Foundation
BSF hold first “Remote Tour” for Visitors at the Graffiti House
On October 13th, the BSF held its first parallel live and remote tour for a group of visitors from an assisted living facility in Manassas, Virginia. Some visitors were upstairs with a tour guide, while others viewed the live tour from the Ankers Media Room in the Graffiti House. Visitors in the Ankers Media Room may also communicate with the tour guide upstairs to ask questions about what they are seeing. In March, the Brandy Station Foundation requested the support of the Fredericksburg PC Users Group (FPCUG). Funds were sought to purchase computer and audiovisual equipment to enable the transmission of audio-video tours of the Graffiti House to visitors who can't climb the stairs. The equipment would also support scholarly lectures on Civil War topics pertinent to Brandy Station and the production of a high-quality documentary on the Graffiti House and its historical significance, including short segments for each of the three primary rooms with graffiti. In addition, an important component is the training of interested volunteers on video production and streaming video techniques.
In May, the FPCUG approved the BSF request for funding in the amount of
$13,000. In addition to improving access to mobility-impaired visitors, the funds will be used for equipment to assist with the presentation/marketing) and historic preservation of the Brandy Station Battlefield (i.e., the Graffiti House). A third- party will film onsite, allow Graffiti House staff to shadow the producers and cinematographers for training purposes, and edit the videos produced to create DVDs and MP4 type videos for streaming online.
Equipment subsequently purchased using some of the funds has facilitated the presentation of lectures in the Media Room. In addition, the new equipment has also facilitated the capability to have both virtual and in-person attendance at BSF meetings.
Giving Tuesday December 2, 2025
The Brandy Station Foundation is participating in Giving Tuesday on the MightyCause platform. Mightycause and the Mightycause Charitable Foundation are offering 20,000 in GivingTuesday cash prizes to help nonprofits raise money.
Starting on Tuesday, November 18th, donors can begin making contributions during Early Giving on Mightycause. These early gifts count toward our GivingTuesday totals and Early Giving prizes. The Brandy Station Foundation will be focusing its Giving Tuesday fundraising on the Graffiti House Display Improvement Project that was described in the President’s Message. To donate, please visit:
Cleaning of the Pelham Monument
On October 3rd, the Pelham Monument across from the Graffiti House was cleaned. Thank you to all those who supported the fund-raising effort to arrange for this work to be done. The inscriptions can now be easily read. One side reads:
“In memory of Major John Pelham, born Sept. 7, 1838 in Calhoun Co. ALA. Mortally wounded March 17, 1863 near Kelley’s Ford VA.
New Mural on Outdoor Shed on Graffiti House Grounds
The Brandy Station Foundation commissioned local artist Layton Scarbrough to create a mural for the large shed next to its Graffiti House in Brandy Station. The artist completed the mural on Friday, October 10th. He did an excellent job of conceptualizing a composition, and then worked with the board of the Brandy Station Foundation as board suggestions and alternate sketches by the artist were generated and reviewed. The selected mural depicts soldiers who would have been in the house at different periods during the Civil War, one recovering from battle, and the other sketching a woman on the plaster wall of the Graffiti House. Outside a window, the mural depicts a train passing on the track behind the Graffiti House known as the Orange and Alexandria Railroad during the Civil War.
